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Winters named Mississippi’s 2020 New Century Scholar

Addie WintersMCC alumna Addie Winters was honored Tuesday during the Virtual Membership Celebration General Session at the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Leadership Congress next month.
 
Winters, a Physical Therapist Assistant Program graduate, was selected as a 2020 Phi Theta Kappa New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar for Mississippi and received a $1,250 scholarship.
 
This scholarship is the first of its kind to support students at associate degree-granting institutions on a national scale as they plan to enter the workforce upon completion of a degree or certificate. The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the international academic honor society for community colleges.
 
New Century Workforce Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. Over 2,200 students were nominated from more than 1,200 college campuses across the country. Only one New Century Workforce Scholar was selected from each state.
 
The 2020 Leadership Congress convened online as a virtual event to consider attendees’ safety and health amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. New Century Workforce Pathway Scholars were honored during the Virtual Membership Celebration General Session via a video presentation.
 
Winters, 22, is a Philadelphia resident who came to pursue a career in this healthcare arena after a high-school shoulder injury. She earned an associate degree from Holmes Community College in a pre-physical therapy program. Winters then considered going to the University of Mississippi Medical Center to study kinesiology or a higher science when she came upon MCC’s Physical Therapist Assistant Program. She applied to MCC’s competitive program, was accepted and graduated in May.
 
The recognition humbles the honoree. “I’m still really shocked about getting this prestigious award. I’m completely honored to represent the state of Mississippi. I’m excited about the online celebration; however, I wish there could be an in-person celebration,” Winters said.
 
“Yet, I understand the circumstances of this pandemic, because I was recently diagnosed with COVID-19,” she added.
 
Winters is on the road to recovery, noting that she feels much better now. “Thanking the Lord above that my symptoms were not as bad as others, but I urge everyone to take this seriously because it is not a game. People are really getting sick and dying from this virus,” she added.